Councilman Reginald Gaffney and Daryl Joseph from the Parks Department and Bill Joyce from Public Works were on hand to give updates on current projects and take feedback from the community. Councilman Gaffney shared that the West 4th Street restoration project is on track, and encouraged residents to reach out to him regarding additional projects that the community would like to see accomplished. Daryl with the Parks Department shared that they have been working on the scoreboard in Klutho Park and are wanting to ensure historic appropriateness on the project. Bill discussed sidewalk issues and the process of which to turn in concerns/requests to the City. His suggestion was to email him, call 630-CITY, or go to their website http://630city.coj.net.

On behalf of Southern Moss Realty, Kelly Rich provided an update on the real estate market and attendees were given a handout. The update was from January 1st through the end of May and highlights included: 47 total closed sales, average sales price $198,584, 15 listings went under contract in 5 days or less (spread through all price points), and homes are selling for 97% of list price on average.

Melody Shacter and Jac Shacter from TerraWise shared plans for their live/work complex and a new duplex design with an expected start date of this fall.

Kelly Rich shared that upcoming Springfield businesses including Bleu Chocolat, Strings Sports Brewery, Icecapades, and Flour and Fig are all moving on track.

SPAR Vice President Aaron Glick gave an update on Main Street. The City will be replacing approximately 30 trees along Main Street with new Chinese elms, amending the soil in the tree wells, and making sure existing irrigation is working. They will begin the project this summer. There have also been two new trash cans installed on Main Street, one at Main and 6th and one at Main and 3rd.

The Historical Springfield Holiday Society shared that they have had a successful fundraising year thus far, including a Valentine’s Day dinner, Springfield resident t-shirt sales, and Historic Springfield banner flags. They encouraged anyone interested in joining their group to visit their Facebook page.

Kelly Rich introduced the newest SPAR employee, Heather Benfield. Kevin O’Halloran will be leaving the organization this summer to pursue graduate school in D.C.. The board will be taking applications for the governance committee until July 31st. All interested parties should email the SPAR office (sparoffice@sparcouncil.org). Residents were reminded of the street sweeping pilot program for the South West quadrant.

An update on the Jacksonville Trail Master Plan was presented by Bill Hoff. This is a Groundwork Jacksonville project with the goal to connect 14 neighborhoods to each other, downtown, and the St. Johns River via a bike/pedestrian trail. Groundwork Jacksonville has identified an alley in Springfield that could be converted for this project. That alley is just East of Liberty Street, beginning at East 2nd and ending at East 10th Street.